Chelsea forward Pedro had multiple fractures

Singapore, July 24 (IANS) Chelsea chief coach Antonio Conte on Monday said forward Pedro Rodriguez had sustained multiple fractures to his face and his injuries were more serious than was earlier believed.

The Italian coach said that the Spaniard could be returning soon but may have to wear a mask, reports Efe.

“The situation was more serious than I thought because I hoped it would only be concussion and instead he had multiple fractures,” Conte said, according to the English club’s official website.

Chelsea announced on Sunday that Pedro had to return to London for further review after he suffered concussion in Saturday’s 3-0 victory in a friendly against Arsenal in Beijing.

He was injured in the first half of the friendly after he collided with rival goalkeeper, Colombia’s David Ospina, and had to leave the pitch.

The Spaniard was then taken to a hospital.

Conte confirmed after the friendly that Pedro would not be travelling with the team to Singapore, where the Premier League champions would face Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the International Champions Cup.

The Italian coach said that Spanish striker Alvaro Morata, who recently moved from Real Madrid to Chelsea, could play against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

“My plan is to give him the possibility to play part of the game, but not from the start because he only arrived yesterday and started to work with us,” Conte said with reference to Morata.